This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 314,389, filed Dec. 12, 1972, U.S. Pat. No. 3,883,913 which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 216,990, filed Jan. 11, 1972, and now abandoned.
The prior art in the inflatable life saving equipment field is well known to the present inventor and is believed to be fully disclosed and described in the above U.S. Pat. The disclosure with respect to the basic stabilized raft unit, as well as the prior art as disclosed by the inventor and that discovered by the Examiner are incorporated herewith by reference. It is the applicant's position that the prior art as noted hereinabove does not anticipate the basic invention and further that there is nothing in the art presently known to the inventor which would anticipate the present improvements.
As has been noted in the above referenced patent, one of the difficulties with inflatable life rafts has been the fact that since they are, of necessity, light of weight and are inflated with a gaseous substance, they are extremely subject to being blown away by high winds. Since the construction of the heretofore accepted raft also results in a high center of gravity, the rafts are easily overturned in high seas by sudden shifts within the raft. The basic stabilized raft, as described in the above referenced patent, eliminates these problems by utilizing the supporting fluid as a stabilizing and weighted keel integrating such fluid into the structure of the raft.
Although the stabilized and weighted keel as described in the above referenced patent substantially solves the major problems and detractions of the heretofore accepted inflatable life raft there has proven to be, through testing and utilization of the stabilized raft of, areas of improvement, which when seriously considered and attacked, in a positive manner have rendered the raft as described herein of even superior stability and safety.
One of the problems noted during the testing of the basic stabilized raft is in the amount of time, short though it may be, that it takes for the buoy chamber to fill with the supporting fluid. During this filling time, the raft, because of its basic nature, continues to have some of the instability it was designed to correct. With the above noted problem in mind it is an object of the present invention to provide a valve structure in the base of the stabilizing chamber which will allow the chamber to be filled far more rapidly and readily and yet prevent a rapid outflow of fluid such as could be caused under certain specific conditions when the raft is suddenly lifted by a wave.
Yet another problem of currently available life rafts is in the fact that a sudden shifting of weight within the raft when combined with an inopportune wind direction or wave action may cause the raft to flip over. It has been noted that even in a stabilized raft as described in the above-noted patent, a sudden shifting of material within the raft can at least cause the feeling of instability.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to greatly improve the stability of a life raft which contains a fluid filled buoy by placing within the buoy chamber itself a plurality of baffles or other deterents to the rapid flow of water which have included therewith a number of openings permitting the equalization of the fluid within the chamber and yet preventing rapid movement of fluids in the chamber from one section to another. This increased stability counteracts a rapid shift of weight in the main portion of the raft.
Still another disadvantage of presently available rafts is apparent in the entrance way to those rafts which include enclosures to protect the occupants from the weather. The entry ways have been traditionally secured by a covering door held in position by zippers. During a heavy sea or high wind, it is extremely difficult for a fatigued person to stabilize themselves upon a rapidly bobbing raft while attempting to open the door by means of unzipping a zipper.
With the above problem in mind it is an object of the present invention to provide a door to the enclosed survival chamber which is capable of rapid and simple opening and does not require intricate finger manipulation. The seal between the canopy bubble and the door itself is formed by means of Velcro fasteners which extend around the inner periphery of the door opening and the exterior periphery of the door. An opening strap is provided which extends from one of the upper inner corners of the door, downwardly, interior of the raft and then outwardly to terminate in a hand grip exterior of the raft. When a person desires to gain entrance to the raft a rapid yank upon the strap will release the top component of the door. Because of the arcuate shape of the canopy the door will simply roll downwardly away from the framework upon continuous pulling of the strap, exposing the entry way.
Yet another problem that has lessened the value of heretofore acceptable inflatable rafts at sea and thus inhibited their use has been the fact that quite often they would inflate in an upside-down position. When this happens, particularly in heavy seas, it is virtually impossible to either right the raft or to maintain oneself on the top of the overturned raft. Needless to say the survival gear required is secured on the interior or topside of the raft and thus unaccessible when the raft is overturned.
With this problem in mind it is still another object of the present invention to combine the proper placement of the survival and inflation gear of the raft in conjunction with the buoyant tubes themselves including the inflatable strut members which support the canopy such that the raft, when inflated will automatically be self-righting under most conditions.